Pubdate: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 Source: Tribune, The (India) Copyright: The Tribune Trust, 2015 Contact: http://www.tribuneindia.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5042 Author: Deepanker Gupta DRUG SMUGGLING RAMPANT IN UDHAMPUR Conviction rate dismal, most accused acquitted due to insufficient evidence There has been a significant increase in drug smuggling in Udhampur district, but the conviction rate has been a dismal 4.6 per cent over the years. According to official data, 110 cases have been registered in Udhampur in the past five years but the accused in a majority of these cases managed to go scot-free. As 74 km of the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway passes through Udhampur district, adjoining areas of Udhampur become temporary haven for smugglers. Many times, drug smugglers are arrested and produced in court, but they get acquitted as investigating officers fail to produce sufficient evidence. "It is a routine that higher officials publicise arrests of these smugglers as major achievements but at later stages in court, the accused gets acquitted as the evidence submitted by the prosecution is not sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused under the NDPS Act. Many times, investigating officers help the accused in such a way that the offense is not established in the court of law," alleged Dinkar Gupta, a lawyer working in Udhampur. A senior police officer said, "We try our best to arrest the culprits. The Udhampur police, in the last one week, succeeded in arresting four smugglers from the periphery of the town and seized more than 6 kg charas and 35 kg of poppy straw. We have also submitted a report to the higher authorities for procurement and installation of full body scanners to be installed at the Jakheni check point so that every vehicle coming from Srinagar is thoroughly scanned for drugs as well as weapons." Out of four arrests, two youths were locals. Reports sent by Intelligence Bureau from Udhampur suggest that smugglers have made temporary transit camps in Krimachi, Sattani, Jib Thathi, Battal Ballian and other areas in the periphery of Udhampur while taking drugs from the Valley towards Punjab and other parts of the country, often through the Dhar road. "If you go through the records of the last ten years, all the narco smugglers arrested are only couriers and small players in the game and to date, no kingpin has ever been caught by the police, which in itself raises a question mark," said a senior intelligence officer on the condition of anonymity. - --------------------------- [sidebar] 110 cases filed in five years * As 74 km of the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway passes through Udhampur district, smugglers make temporary transit camps in adjoining areas of Udhampur * Intelligence Bureau reports suggest that smugglers have made such camps in Krimachi, Sattani, Jib Thathi, Battal Ballian near Udhampur for taking drugs from the Valley towards Punjab and other parts of the country, often through the Dhar road * As many as 110 cases have been registered in Udhampur in the past five years but the accused in a majority of these cases managed to go scot-free - --- MAP posted-by: Matt